Director of Federal Relations
American Cancer Society
Mr. James Williams, Director, Federal Relations- Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Screening American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network A native Washingtonian, James M. Williams, Jr, is a graduate of Fisk University with a degree in African History and Public Administration. He is currently director of federal affairs for cancer prevention, early detection and screening with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Before joining ACS CAN, he was director of federal affairs for Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, where he helped secure the only branch of NIH outside Bethesda, MD on their campus. Between 1988 – 2011 James served as a top staffer on Capitol Hill to six different members of Congress, including as Chief of Staff to Rep. John Lewis and Legislative Director/Appropriations Staffer to Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick. He currently serves on over six different non-profit boards with a primary focus on the differently-abled and recently retired after 10 years from West Point’s Board of Admissions. He and his wife Patrice share five adult children.